Lives of Others

My Review:

My favorite film genre is the spy thriller. From Bourne Identity to Breach, I can’t get enough of them. Lives of Others is a spy thriller with a twist. Tension builds, but there are no car chases or brutal fights.

It is set in 1984 East Germany, five years before the wall will fall and change everything. It centers on the investigation of a playwright by a state policeman.

The secret police (the stasi) often held writers and artists in suspicion, thinking their art had the danger of being subversive. So, we get our story. A captain of the stasi is suspicious of a playwright, Georg Dreyman.

So Gerd Weisler (the captain) has Dreyman’s apartment wired and starts listening to every whisper. Now, what sets this film apart is that we begin to see Wesler unravel. In a marvelous work of self reflection, Weisler transforms before our eyes. He discovers that he is the bad guy, not this playwright. He is commiting the injustice, not Dreyman.

And here we get out dilemma – Weiser knows he is acting unethically. But what can he do? This is his job! This is what gives him security. Does he act in self-interest, or does he do the right thing?

Dreyman does get an opportunity to get a story out from behind the iron curtain, about how the East German government no longer keeps count of the number of suicides. They keep track of everything else. Dreyman sees this as a blatant way in which the state engineers the ethos of the sterile nation.

Wesier’s inner conflict continues. There is a remarkable twist at the end, which will leave you gasping. Actually, there are a few major twists which are shocking, yet not beyond the realm of believability.

This film features stellar acting and masterful directing. The film’s ending is truly amazing. After the fall of communism, we follow how both Weiser and Dreyman end up. Does Weiser do the right thing? Are we always rewarded for acting selflessly? Watch the film to find out.

Lives of Others was nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign film category.